Manchester City and Liverpool have both struggled for goalkeeping consistency this season, but which stopper is the worst?
Who out of Claudio Bravo, Willy Caballero, Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius is statistically the weakest in 2016-17?
LIVERPOOL and Manchester City both tried to upgrade their goalkeepers in the summer... but failed spectacularly.
Loris Karius and Claudio Bravo have struggled since joining last summer, meaning recalls for the ditched Simon Mignolet and Willy Caballero. But who is the worst?
German stopper Karius joined the Reds from Mainz, but shortly after his arrival picked up an injury during a training session.
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He only lasted ten Premier League games before being axed in favour of Mignolet who has remained between the sticks in league fixtures for Jurgen Klopp’s men ever since.
Meanwhile, City boss Pep Guardiola signed Bravo from former club Barcelona to improve his side’s distribution from the back, sending England’s No1 Joe Hart on loan to Torino for the season.
Bravo came under heavy fire from the outset after a shaky debut against City’s fierce rivals Manchester United.
The Chilean has not played a Premier League game since the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on January 21.
It will almost certainly be a summer of change at the Etihad Stadium with a new goalkeeper likely to be high on Guardiola’s shopping list, even if Hart is still on the club’s books.
We asked our friends at to crunch the numbers and come up with an answer to the following question: Who has the worst keeper – Liverpool or City?
There are many different statistics by which to judge a goalkeeper... but they are affected by the number of games they have played or the strength of the defence in front of them.
For example, current City No1 Caballero has played just eight times in the Premier League this season meaning he has faced the fewest shots by far.
At the same time, Liverpool’s leaky defence means Mignolet and Karius have enjoyed the least protection and faced the most shots.
On that basis we have decided which keeper is the worst, based on the percentage of shots saved.
Man City’s Bravo has made the most Premier League appearances of the quartet with 19 and has kept four clean sheets.
Mignolet has played 18 times in the league recording four clean sheets as well.
Karius has been restricted to just ten starts and three clean sheets while Caballero has claimed four shutouts from his eight games between the sticks.
Despite their aspirations to win the league under Guardiola, City have faced an alarming number of shots with Bravo (60) bearing the brunt of that assault at an average of 2.98 per game.
Mignolet has faced 58 shots, at 3.04 per game, with Karius (33 at 3.15 per game) and Caballero (19 at 2.25 per game) facing the fewest.
However, those numbers are affected by the number of games the four keepers have played this season and can’t, therefore, be used as a measure.
There is a tie between Mignolet and Bravo for the most saved with both pulling off 35 stops this season – comfortably ahead of Karius (22) and Caballero (15).
But the same problem exists as with the last statistic as it is dictated by the number of shots faced in the first place. The goalkeeper is, after all, the last line of defence.
Therefore, the only measure which cannot be prejudiced by others is the save percentage and it is by this that we have ranked the four goalkeepers.
Coming out on top, by some distance, is Manchester City stand-in Cabellero.
The 35-year-old Argentine, who only started two top flight games before February, has saved an impressive 78 per cent of the shots he has faced putting him well out in front.
The next best is something of a surprise in Reds keeper Karius.
The German, who has not featured in the league since December 11 following a string of high-profile errors and a spat with Manchester United legend Gary Neville, has a save percentage of 66.
Mignolet is next best, saving 60 per cent of the shots he has faced, meaning City’s Bravo is the worst of the four.
The 33-year-old has kept out just over half the shots taken at his goal, leaving him with a save percentage of 58.
It has been a tough season for the £17million keeper with his performance on his debut in the Manchester derby setting the tone for a season of struggle.
He was at fault for United’s goal in that game at Old Trafford and narrowly avoided being sent off for a challenge on Wayne Rooney.
On his return to the Nou Camp in the Champions League he was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area.
Guardiola finally lost patience with Bravo in January and he has been limited to Emirates FA Cup action ever since.
City have only lost once since Caballero took over from Bravo, leaving the Chilean with plenty of work to do in order to dislodge the former Malaga stopper ahead of the crucial run-in.
